Gênesis 12
Steven Cole · Citado em PreceptAustin
Gênesis 12
Cole - One of the battles currently being waged in evangelical circles concerns the nature of saving faith. On the one hand are those who claim that if a person professes to believe in Christ as Savior, he is saved. There does not need to be any (or at least very little) confirming evidence in his life that his faith was genuine. According to this view, he could later become an atheist, but if he had previously professed faith in Christ, he is eternally saved. The other side argues that we are saved by faith alone, but that such faith, if it is genuine, inevitably produces a life of growth in godliness. If a person professes to believe, but there is scant evidence in his life, his faith is not genuine. True saving faith produces good works. I believe that this is the clear teaching of Scripture. The debate is not inconsequential, since it concerns the heart of the gospel message. When doubts and fears flooded into his mind and heart, as surely they must have on many occasions, Abraham could quietly meet them with the answer, God will do for me all that He has promised, and more. He isn’t out to rob me or ruin me but His promise & His heart is to bless me (Ge 12:1-3). Do I really believe this truth about God even when I'm in the furnace of affliction & don't feel like He's looking or listening. Waiting is always one of the most difficult tests He puts His faithful ones through....Since eternity is riding on the matter, it’s crucial to understand what true biblical faith is. I often shudder at Jesus’ words, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matt. 7:21-23.) How awful to hear those words! Here are people who not only claimed to be believers, they served the Lord. Even more, they performed works of power in His name. They thought they knew Him. But He didn’t know them. To make sure we don’t hear those words when we stand before the Lord, we must be clear on what the Bible teaches about saving faith, namely, that saving faith is obedient faith. (Obedient Faith) So we can say that a truly spiritual person pleases God by trusting Him (Heb 11:6), and that he loves God by obeying Him. We never can experience the delights of God's love until all on the altar we lay; for the favor He shows and the joy He bestows are for them who will trust and obey. There is no other way to be happy (blessed) in Jesus but to trust anf obey. Abraham experienced this truth. His obedience to God was possible because of his faith in God. His was a life of learning to trust and obey. (Heb 11:8+) And Lot went with him - This is almost like an addendum and it is intriguing because Abram was told to "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives" (Ge 12:1) and clearly Lot was his relative! Does this represent disobedience on Abram's part? Was his faith weak at this time? Possibly. We cannot state with certainty but we can say that it was not until Genesis 15:6 that he believed God and God accounted it to him as righteousness (salvation). In any event Abram clearly had faith in what Jehovah had spoken to him for Ge 12:4 says "Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him." Although Lot subsequently took a "wrong turn" in Canaan, his story ended well because Peter gives the end result... (God) condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly thereafter; and if (or since = because He did rescue Him) He rescued righteous Lot (Ed: How did Lot become "righteous" by hearing and believing the Gospel preached beforehand to Abraham - Gal 3:8+), oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day with their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, (2 Peter 2:6-9+)
Gênesis 12
Cole - To survive, Abram journeyed down to Egypt. There was nothing wrong, per se, with going to Egypt. On at least two occasions God directed His people to Egypt for temporary protection (Gen. 46:3; Matt. 2:13). The text says that he went to “sojourn,” not to settle, there. The problem was, there is no indication that Abram sought the Lord’s guidance in this situation. It never seemed to occur to him that God was sovereign over the famine and that he needed to seek His direction. Constable has this interesting quote on Egypt - “Throughout Gen. 12—50 Egypt is a symbol of safety and provision for the patriarchs and their families. If anything, Egypt is the oppressed in Genesis. Note that it is Sarai who ‘dealt harshly’ with her Egyptian maidservant, forcing her ‘to flee’ (Ge 16:6). Later she urges her husband to ‘cast out’ this Egyptian.” (Hamilton, p. 386. See Peter D. Miscall, The Workings of Old Testament Narrative, pp. 42-45.) (Ref) Bruce Waltke writes that "Abraham’s movement to Egypt is paralleled by his return in Ge 13:1. Since he receives no revelation to sojourn in Egypt (cf. Ge 12:1; Ge 26:2–6; Ge 46:2–3), he is stepping out of the stones in God’s will to find bread." (Genesis: A Commentary) NET Note on Abram went down to Egypt. The Abrahamic narrative foreshadows some of the events in the life of the nation of Israel. This sojourn in Egypt is typological of Israel's bondage there. In both stories there is a famine that forces the family to Egypt, death is a danger to the males while the females are preserved alive, great plagues bring about their departure, there is a summons to stand before Pharaoh, and there is a return to the land of Canaan with great wealth. NET Note on sojourn - Hebrew verb gur, traditionally rendered "to sojourn," means "to stay for a while." The "stranger" (traditionally "sojourner") is one who is a temporary resident, a visitor, one who is passing through. Abram had no intention of settling down in Egypt or owning property. He was only there to wait out the famine. Sojourn (01481)(gur) means a temporary stay, to reside temporarily, to dwell as a foreigner; a short stay somewhere. In the reflexive sense, to seek hospitality with. The first use of gur is Ge 12:10 of the Abram (cp use with other patriarchs - Ge 20:1, 21:23, 34, 26:3, 32:4, 25:27, 47:4). The term is commonly used of the patriarchs who sojourned in Canaan (Gen. 26:3; 35:27); places outside Canaan (Gen. 12:10; 20:1; 21:23; 32:4[5]; 47:4); Naomi and her family in Moab (Ruth 1:1); the exiles in Babylonia (Jer. 42:15). Metaphorically, the term is used of one who worships in God’s temple (Ps. 15:1; 61:4[5]). It is used reflexively with the meaning to seek hospitality with in 1 Kings 17:20. Gilbrant - Gûr is used several different ways in the OT, and it means "to sojourn." A sojourner is one who dwells as a newcomer without original rights (Ge 19:9; Dt. 18:6). It is used of the patriarchs (Gen. 12:10; 20:1; 32:4; 47:4). It is also used of a woman who was a lodger or guest in another's house (Job 19:15) and of worshipers in Yahweh's house (Ps. 15:1). The term is used figuratively of evil in Ps. 5:4, which says, "Evil cannot dwell with you." It is used of others who sojourned throughout the OT (2 Chr. 15:9; Jer. 35:7; 42:15, 17, 22; Isa. 52:4). Isaiah 11:6 speaks of the wolf dwelling with the lamb. In the Hithpolel, it means "to seek hospitality with" (1 Ki. 17:20). The word is used to mean "to stir up strife" (Isa. 54:15) and "to attack" (Ps. 56:6). It can also mean "to stand in awe" (Ps. 22:23; 33:8). Furthermore, it can mean "to dread" (Num. 22:3; 1 Sam. 18:15), or "to be afraid" (Nu. 22:3; Deut. 18:22). A third nuance of the verb is "to attack." Resident-aliens often became mercenaries. For example, the army of David was comprised of a number of ethnic groups, doubtless the most famous being Uriah the Hittite (2 Sam. 23:30ff). They were ideal soldiers, being free of clan ties (and subsequent legal demands). (Complete Biblical Library Hebrew-English Dictionary) TWOT - The root means to live among people who are not blood relatives; thus, rather than enjoying native civil rights, the gēr was dependent on the hospitality that played an important role in the ancient near east. When the people of Israel lived with their neighbors they were usually treated as protected citizens; foreigners in Israel were largely regarded as proselytes. Often because of famine the people of Israel lived as protected citizens outside the promised land: Abraham in Egypt (Gen 12:10); Israel in Egypt (Ge 47:4); Isaac with Abimelech of Gerar (Ge 26:3). In the case of the Patriarchs, however, they became “protected” citizens in the promised land through the call of God (Gen 17:8; 20:1; 23;4). Hebrews 11:9,13 describes them as pilgrims and strangers, evidence that they did not regard themselves as members of the sinful world. Many passages illustrate this meaning. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob only sojourned in Canaan (Ex 6:4), although Isaac and Jacob were born there. The land had not been given to them because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full (Gen 15:16). The Israelites are called sojourners (gērîm) in Egypt (Deut 10:17–19; Ex 22:20); being outsiders at the beginning and virtual slaves at the end of their stay. Jacob describes his stay with Laban as a sojourn, for he expected to return to Canaan. Lot dwelled in Sodom, but when he quarrelled with the men of Sodom he was scornfully called a sojourner, i.e. a foreigner, one without voice in community affairs (Gen 19:9). Israel in exile in Mesopotamia was said to sojourn there (Ezr 1:4) because exiled from their covenant home. wthe Canaanites became gērîm after the conquest (Ex 20:10; 22:20; 23:9). because their sin had voided any privileges conferred upon them under the common grace of God. Even Israel is termed a sojourner in the sense that their tenure in the land was effective only as long as they honored the Covenant. In the age to come the wolf will be the protected citizen of the lamb (Isa 11:6). Evil never enjoys that status with God (Ps 5:4); but the Psalmist regards himself as such before the Lord (Ps 39:1–13; I Chr 29:15). Indeed, even after the Conquest Israel is still a sojourner in the land, for the land belongs to the Lord (Lev 25:23). Brown-Driver-Briggs' Definition 1) to sojourn, abide, dwell in, dwell with, remain, inhabit, be a stranger, be continuing, surely (NAS = 01471a) 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to sojourn, dwell for a time 1a2) to abide, stay, temporarily dwell 1b) (Hithpolel) (reflexive) 1b1) to seek hospitality with 1b2) to assemble oneself 2) to stir up trouble, strife, quarrel, gather together (NAS = 01471b) 2a) (Qal) 2a1) to stir up strife 2a2) to quarrel 2b) (Hithpolel) to excite oneself 3) to dread, fear, stand in awe, be afraid - Note the NAS lists this as a separate entry (NAS = 01471c) - 3a) (Qal) 3a1) to fear, be afraid 3a2) to be in awe, stand in awe Gur - 80 verses in NAS - Usage: abide*(1), alien(1), aliens(1), assemble(1), colonize(1), dwell(3), dwells(1), habitation(1), live(4), live as aliens(2), lives(1), reside(13), resided(1), resides(3), sojourn(11), sojourned(9), sojourning(1), sojourns(13), stay(6), staying(4), stays(1), strangers(3). Gen. 12:10; 19:9; 20:1; 21:23,34; 26:3; 32:4; 35:27; 47:4; Exod. 3:22; 6:4; 12:48f; Lev. 16:29; 17:8,10,12f; 18:26; 19:33f; 20:2; 25:6,45; Num. 9:14; 15:14ff,26,29; 19:10; Deut. 18:6; 26:5; Jos. 20:9; Jdg. 5:17; 17:7ff; 19:1,16; Ruth 1:1; 2 Sam. 4:3; 1 Ki. 17:20; 2 Ki. 8:1f; 1 Chr. 16:19; 2 Chr. 15:9; Ezr. 1:4; Job 19:15; 28:4; Ps. 5:4; 15:1; 61:4; 105:12,23; 120:5; Isa. 5:17; 11:6; 16:4; 23:7; 33:14; 52:4; Jer. 35:7; 42:15,17,22; 43:2,5; 44:8,12,14,28; 49:18,33; 50:40; Lam. 4:15; Ezek. 14:7; 47:22f; Hos. 7:14 10 verses in NAS (01481c) use Gur with the sense of dread - Num. 22:3; Deut. 1:17; 18:22; 32:27; 1 Sam. 18:15; Job 19:29; 41:25; Ps. 22:23; 33:8; Hos. 10:5 5 verses in NAS (01481b) use Gur to mean to stir up strife, quarrel - Ps. 56:6; 59:3; 94:21; 140:2; Isa. 54:15 Gur - 94 verses in the KJV - Usage: AV - sojourn 58, dwell 12, afraid 6, stranger 6, gather together 4, fear 3, abide 2, assemble 1, stand in awe 1, gathered 1, inhabitant 1, remain 1, sojourners 1, surely 1; 98 Gen. 12:10; 19:9; 20:1; 21:23,34; 26:3; 32:4; 35:27; 47:4; Exod. 3:22; 6:4; 12:48f; Lev. 16:29; 17:8,10,12f; 18:26; 19:33f; 20:2; 25:6,45; Num. 9:14; 15:14ff,26,29; 19:10; 22:3; Deut. 1:17; 18:6,22; 26:5; 32:27; Jos. 20:9; Jdg. 5:17; 17:7ff; 19:1,16; Ruth 1:1; 1 Sam. 18:15; 2 Sam. 4:3; 1 Ki. 17:20; 2 Ki. 8:1f; 1 Chr. 16:19; 2 Chr. 15:9; Ezr. 1:4; Job 19:15,29; 28:4; 41:25; Ps. 5:4; 15:1; 22:23; 33:8; 56:6; 59:3; 61:4; 105:12,23; 120:5; 140:2; Isa. 5:17; 11:6; 16:4; 23:7; 33:14; 52:4; 54:15; Jer. 35:7; 42:15,17,22; 43:2,5; 44:8,12,14,28; 49:18,33; 50:40; Lam. 4:15; Ezek. 14:7; 47:22f; Hos. 7:14; 10:5 Severe in the land - More literally "heavy in the land." Severe famine is also seen in Ge 43:1, 47:13. Matthew Henry on the trial of Abram's faith... (1.) Strong faith is commonly exercised with divers temptations, that it may be found to praise, and honour, and glory, 1 Peter 1:6, 7. (2.) It pleases God sometimes to try those with great afflictions who are but young beginners in religion. (3.) It is possible for a man to be in the way of duty, and in the way to happiness, and yet meet with great troubles and disappointments. David Holwick has an interesting analysis of some of the heroes of the Bible... The weakness of God's servants is most conspicuous where their strength lies. Abraham, the most faithful of men, sinned by unfaithfulness. Moses, the meekest of men, by anger. Solomon, the wisest, by folly. Elijah, the most valiant, by fear. John, one of the gentlest, by vindictiveness. Peter, one of the boldest, by cowardice. Humorist Sam Levenson once said: "You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can't possibly live long enough to make them all yourself." (see 1 Cor 10:6, 11) Tossing the Coin - Donald Grey Barnhouse commented that just as every coin has a head and a tail, so every event in life either draws us to God or leads us away from him. If Abraham had stayed in Canaan during the famine, he would have learned to trust God in a brand-new way. If he hadn’t lied to the Egyptians, he would have given God a chance to meet his needs without resorting to deception. But because he didn’t do those things, that same famine led him away from God.How much better it would be if we would learn this lesson. Instead of complaining at every trial and saying “Why me?” we would be better off to say, “Lord, what are you trying to teach me through this?” Every difficult situation gives the opportunity to become a student of God’s grace or a hapless victim of negative circumstances.When the famine comes, remember that God has not abandoned you. He sends the famines of life in order to see if you will trust him even in the most difficult moments. We should say, “Here is another opportunity for me to trust God. I wonder what wonderful things he is going to do for me this time.” It’s not easy to say that. Sometimes it takes more grace to stay in the Promised Land than it does to get there in the first place.But God never intended that that Christian life should be easy. If it were easy, none of us would ever grow spiritually. He arranges the steps of life so that as we climb higher, we also grow stronger. In the end we will discover heights of blessing that God reserves for those who just keep climbing. (Ray Pritchard) W H Griffith Thomas' Devotional Comments on Genesis 12:10-13:4 - The Testing: The young believer's life is soon tested, especially after seasons of communion (see 2 Chr 32:1 and 2 Chr 31:20, 21, R.V.). It was so with the Apostle Peter (Mt 16:17-23), and even with our Lord (Luke 3:22, 4:1). We now see this great principle in the life of Abraham. I. The Special Circumstances (Ge 12:10).— One of the frequent famines arose. As there was no artificial irrigation, Palestine necessarily depended on the annual rainfall and the heavy sea mist that came up from the Mediterranean at certain times of the year (the "dew" of the Old Testament). This was a very real test to Abraham. Notwithstanding the recent revelation of God with all its promises (Ge 12:7), there was actually a famine in the land of promise. Doubtless Abraham remembered the rich alluvial plains of Mesopotamia and Syria. Thus he was soon tested, and his faithfulness put to the proof. We are sometimes apt to identify the peace and calm of outward circumstances with the peace arising from a consciousness of the Divine presence. It was to make this distinction clear that Abraham was tested. II. The Long Journey (Ge 12:10).— This journey is the first point of contact between Israel as represented in Abraham and Egypt. We well know the baneful influence exercised in later ages. The famine was, of course, the sole cause of Abraham's journey, and in itself the most obvious and natural thing for him to do. It was the 'natural' thing for him to do; but then Abraham's position was not merely natural, for he had supernatural relationships. The right way is not always the easiest, and the easiest is not always the right way. Difficulties do not necessarily indicate that we are out of the pathway of God's will. It would certainly seem that Abraham was now thinking solely of the land and its famine, and forgetting God and His promises. III. The Proposal (Ge 12:11-13).— Abraham suggested that Sarai should say that she was his sister instead of his wife. This was a 'half-truth' (cf. Ge 20:12). Verbally it was correct; but really it was a lie. It is to be observed, too, that the proposal was clearly actuated by selfishness; there was no regard for Sarai, but only for his own safety. How strange this is! He had journeyed all the way from Ur of the Chaldees, and yet could not trust God with his wife or with his own life. How small great people can be! How weak strong men can be! How bad good people can be! IV. The Result (Ge 12:14-16).— What Abraham anticipated came to pass; Sarai was taken into the King's harem. Abraham's very precaution led to Pharaoh's action. The patriarch's life is thus saved, and gifts are showered upon him, doubtless as the recognised dowry on the marriage of his sister with Pharaoh. Yet what must have been his thoughts as he was alone in his tent! He had gained his end, but at a very great cost to Sarai and himself. Thus Abraham fell at the point where he was supposed to be strongest—his faith. So it was with Moses, the meek man (Num. 20:10). V. The Divine Displeasure (Ge 12:17).— Serious illness came upon Pharaoh and his house, showing them clearly that some extraordinary meaning was in it. God could not allow His promises to Abraham to be frustrated or His will unfulfilled. It was therefore necessary to save Abraham from himself and rescue Sarai. VI. The Rebuke (Ge 12:18-20).— We can picture Abraham's surprise at Pharaoh's expostulation. The Egyptians, with all their sins, seem to have laid great store by truth and abhorred all kinds of lying. The King thereupon ordered Abraham to take her and go out of the land, Pharaoh's servants being charged to see them both safely out of Egypt. VII. The Restoration (Ge 13:1-4).— We can imagine Abraham's feelings as the caravan slowly wended its way out of Egypt, and as he came back to the land of Canaan. Note the phrase 'at the beginning' (Ge 13:3), and ' unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first' (Ge 13:4), and 'called on the name of the Lord' (Ge 13:4). We read of no such altar or prayer in Egypt. Abraham seems to have been out of communion there. Now, however, he does the only possible thing—he returns to where he had been at the commencement; he came back to the true surrender and simple worship of his earliest days in Canaan. Whenever we backslide there is nothing else to do but to come back by the old gateway of genuine repentance and simple faith (Ps. 23:3; 1 John 1:9). 1. A Believer's false step.—Abraham went aside out of the path of God's will; he was occupied with circumstances instead of with God. He only saw the famine, not the Divine faithfulness. 'He that trusts in his own heart is a fool' (Pr 28:26). 'A crust with God is better than a feast without Him.' 2. A Believer's definite backsliding.—The possibilities of a true child of God wandering into sin and unfaithfulness are very clear from Scripture. This is one of the saddest and most mysterious facts of spiritual experience. In Abraham's case it manifested itself first in fear due to forgetfulness of God, then in selfishness, and lastly in hypocrisy and deceit. There is nothing more solemn than the well-known fact that through sin a believer can be out of touch with God for a long time. 3. A Believers sad experience.—One part of this was the knowledge that his wrongdoing had brought ill effects on others. Both Sarai and Pharaoh's house suffered through Abraham's sin. Another element in his bitter cup was the plain rebuke from the heathen Pharaoh. We have truly touched the depths of spiritual unfaithfulness when a believer has to be openly rebuked by the ungodly. 4. A Believer's only safeguard.—This preservative is twofold—trust and truth every moment. Abraham was taught three lessons about God in relation to trust: (1) That God was essential to his every step, and that nothing can be done apart from Him (John 15:5); (2) that God was able—notwithstanding the famine God could have provided for Abraham; (3) that God was faithful: He had not forgotten His promise to His servant (Ge 12:1-3). Thus Abraham came back with a deepened idea of God and a louder call for simple, absolute, continual trust. He was also taught the lesson of truth. The child of God is to be straightforward in all his attitude, and to go straight forward in all his actions. The end does not justify the means, whatever men may say. Even though our objects may be perfectly right, our means to attain those objects must be without blemish. This has special application to methods of Church work, ideas of social status, aspects of family life, and objects of personal ambition. Not only must the end we seek be true, the means we use must also be true. Learning From Mistakes Read: Genesis 12:10-20 | All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable. —2 Timothy 3:16 The Bible is not a written record of perfect people (except for Jesus, of course). From beginning to end, God’s Word points out in painful detail the mistakes made by its characters. Adam and Eve failed to obey God’s specific restrictions (Gen. 2:15-17; 3:1-7). Abram lied about his relationship to Sarai (Gen. 12:10-20). Moses grew angry and struck the rock in disobedience to God (Num. 20:7-12). David committed adultery and murder (2 Sam. 11-12). Solomon started out well but turned from God for a time (1 Ki. 3:5-9;11:1-43). Peter denied knowing Jesus (Mt. 26:69-75). The Bible’s honest portrayal of the troubles that its characters brought upon themselves and others reminds me of what humorist Sam Levenson once said: “You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t possibly live long enough to make them all yourself.” The Bible is filled with example and teaching On how to avoid all the pitfalls of sin; And if we will learn from its people and precepts, The struggles and battles of life we can win. —Hess To the wise, the word is sufficient. Genesis 12:11 It came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman a fair (KJV): Ge 12:14 26:7 29:17 39:6,7 2Sa 11:2 Pr 21:30 Song 1:14 Genesis 12 Resources - Multiple commentaries, sermons, devotionals See Map of Abram's Journey; More general map of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob Genesis 12:10-13:4 Faithless Man, Faithful God - Steven Cole KJV And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: ABRAM FACES A SECOND TEST Abram reasoned that in escaping the famine he would escape the test, only to discover that his failure to endure one test would be followed by another test! The moral of this story is to resist the temptation to run from whatever test God is allowing in your life or to attempt to resolve it with your own earthly (fleshly) wisdom. You may find the next test is even more enigmatic and trying! It came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife - Earlier we read that Abram came to Shechem and he built an altar (Ge 12:6-7). And again and journeying he pitched his tent east of Bethel, and built another altar. Now we have another journey and another destination (Egypt), but this time Abram does not build an altar. To the contrary he shifts from trusting God to (in effect) testing God by scheming. Webster defines scheme as a method devised for making or doing something or achieving an end. Scheme describes consideration of a possible end of a series of events and the devising of a plan plan motivated by craftiness and self-interest, this plan calculated to alter the end result. So in Ge 12:11-13 we see Abram devise a secret, crafty plan calculated (at least as he reasoned in his flesh) to protect his own life! Warren
Gênesis 12
Cole points out that the verses Ge 12:1-3 "are symmetrical: There is a command from the Lord (“Go forth”) followed by three promises: “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great.” Then there is a second command, rendered as a future tense in most versions: “Be a blessing” (NASB margin), followed by three more promises: “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Abram’s obedience to the first command would start a chain reaction in which God would bless him so that he could fulfill the second command to be a blessing, which would result in God’s further blessing." (Genesis 12:1-3 Great Privilege, Great Responsibility) Let's digress for a moment and analyze God's initial command "go forth" a command Abram obeyed (Ge 12:4)... In Genesis 15:7note we read that Jehovah said to Abram “I am the LORD Who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans (Joshua 24:3 says God "took" him from his country), to give you this land to possess it.” There the word "brought out" (Hebrew yatsa = to go or come out) is translated in the Septuagint with the Greek verb exago which literally means to lead out or to bring out from a place. The active voice (of exago) indicates that the subject (God) brought about this action. This same verb exago is used by Jesus in John 10:3 explaining that the shepherd "calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." Why is this significant? Because it clearly shows that the LORD Himself was actively involved in bringing Abram out of Ur. In Ge 12:1 God commanded Abram "go forth" (cp Acts 7:2 "‘LEAVE [exerchomai in aorist imperative = implies "Just do it!", "Don't delay!"] YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME INTO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU."). On the human side, Abram trusted and obeyed and went out of Ur (Ge 12:4, Hebrews 11:8+), but on the Divine side, God led (brought or "took" - Josh 24:3) him out. We see this juxtaposition of Divine sovereignty and human responsibility repeatedly in the Scripture. This is a vital truth to comprehend beloved and emphasizes that what God commands, He enables. God never asks us to do something with providing us with the "desire" and the "power" to obey and accomplish what He has asked. In Php 2:13NLT Paul teaches that "God is (continually) working in you (in the NT via His indwelling Spirit -- how this was effected in the OT is not completely clear, but clearly the Spirit was involved in Abram's choice to leave Ur), giving (continually giving) you the desire (the "want to" to "overcome the anti-God inertia of our fallen flesh -- which does not want to obey God!) and the power to do what pleases Him. (Phi 2:13NLT+) From your country - What country? For this answer we need to read in Genesis 11 Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. 27 Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran became the father of Lot. 28 Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. 30 Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31 Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there. 32 The days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran. (Ge 11:26-32+) Joshua gives us an additional detail about God's call of Abram... Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the River (refers to the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia, the river today running thru Iraq), namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served (Lxx = latreuo) other (Lxx = heteros = different) gods . 3 ‘Then I took (clearly it was God's sovereign pleasure, power and choice to take) your father Abraham from beyond the River, and led him through all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac.(Joshua 24:2,3+) Comment: Here we see Abraham (Abram) was an idol worshiper when God called him. Nehemiah gives us another detail about the call of Abram.... “You are the LORD God, Who chose (Lxx = eklego) Abram And brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees, And gave him the name Abraham. (Neh 9:7) Comment: Notice that Abram did not choose God but God chose Abram. He chose Abram, not because of anything good in Abram, but because He was setting in motion His grand plan of redemption. Abram (087)(abram from ab = father + ram from the verb rum = to be high, exalted as in Ps 138:6) means either “he is exalted with regard to the father,” that is, he is of distinguished lineage or “exalted father.” It emphasizes the eminence or loftiness of the person involved (Hicks). A remarkable feature of this name is that it was borne by no one else until the sixth century. Abram was changed to Abraham, “father of a multitude” in Ge 17:5, 9, 15, 17, 18. Abram 60x in 50v - Gen. 11:26; Gen. 11:27; Gen. 11:29; Gen. 11:31; Gen. 12:1; Gen. 12:4; Gen. 12:5; Gen. 12:6; Gen. 12:7; Gen. 12:9; Gen. 12:10; Gen. 12:14; Gen. 12:16; Gen. 12:17; Gen. 12:18; Gen. 13:1; Gen. 13:2; Gen. 13:4; Gen. 13:5; Gen. 13:7; Gen. 13:8; Gen. 13:12; Gen. 13:14; Gen. 13:18; Gen. 14:12; Gen. 14:13; Gen. 14:14; Gen. 14:19; Gen. 14:21; Gen. 14:22; Gen. 14:23; Gen. 15:1; Gen. 15:2; Gen. 15:3; Gen. 15:11; Gen. 15:12; Gen. 15:13; Gen. 15:18; Gen. 16:1; Gen. 16:2; Gen. 16:3; Gen. 16:5; Gen. 16:6; Gen. 16:15; Gen. 16:16; Gen. 17:1; Gen. 17:3; Gen. 17:5; 1 Chr. 1:27; Neh. 9:7 And from your relatives: who were idolaters (Joshua 24:2). Having dealt in judgment (at Babel) God now deals in grace. And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you: note that it is not until (12:7) that God says specifically He will give Abram the land. The promises are confirmed and amplified in [Genesis 13:14-17; Ge 15:1-7; Ge 17:1-8,Ge 17:15-19; Ge 22:16-18; Ge 26:2-5,24; Ge 28:13-15; Ge 31:13; Ge 35:9-12]. The writer of Hebrews explains By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going." (Hebrews 11:8+)
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Cole comments on the repeated divine "I will's" - The crucial thing with faith is not your faith, but the object of your faith. Note in our text, it was the Lord who called Abram. Note all the “I will’s” that the Lord affirms to Abram: “I will show you the land; I will make you a great nation; I will bless you; I will bless those who bless you; I will curse those who curse you.” This is the word of the eternal, living God, the Creator of heaven and earth! Can’t you trust Him?...God’s third promise ("bless all the families of the earth in you") connected with His second command is that in Abram, all the families of the earth will be blessed. This is a tremendous promise, fulfilled in the Savior, born of Abram’s lineage, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is one of the greatest promises in the Bible--God’s promise of a Savior for all nations (or people groups). Apart from Abram and his Seed (Christ), we who are Gentiles would have no hope. The apostle Paul referred to this verse in Galatians 3:8: “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘All the nations shall be blessed in you.’” And so here we have the good news, that Jesus Christ would be born to Abraham’s descendants, and that He would save us from our sins through faith. (Genesis 12:1-3 Great Privilege, Great Responsibility) Cole adds this note on curse those who curse you - Anti-Semitism is dangerous business, because the person or nation which is against the Jews incurs God’s judgment. While God does not approve of any form of racial prejudice, He is especially against those who are against His chosen people, and He is especially favorable to those who favor His people. Both biblical and post-biblical history bear abundant witness to this fact. (Genesis 12:1-3 Great Privilege, Great Responsibility) As you may know I am a physician and over 10 years ago a fellow physician actually took out space in the local newspaper to write a piece very critical of the Jews including Jewish physicians. The day that article was published a Jewish gastroenterologist with whom I had been sharing the Gospel (from an Old Testament perspective) can into my office at the hospital and was clearly distressed by the fellow physician's blatantly anti-Semitic article. I will never forget what happened next. I quoted Genesis 12:3 to him in which God promised "I will curse those who curse you." I told Bob that this divine promise had never been revoked and that the doctor's anti-Semitic diatribe would not go unnoticed by God. About a week later, the Jewish gastroenterologist came flying into my office, his face ashen and clearly in distress. I asked him what was the problem and was shocked by his reply. He related how the doctor who had published the anti-Semitic piece had been flying his private plane the day before and something malfunctioned causing him to crash the plane and die! Needless, to say I was taken aback, but then Bob said "You told me that God would not let his anti-Semitic comments go unpunished." You might call this a coincidence but I am still convinced that this was the promise keeping God holding fast to the truth he had spoken 4000 years ago! Sadly Bob is still not a believer in Yeshua, so if you read this story and are inclined to do so, pleas pray for God to open his heart to come to know the Messiah. Thank you. NET Note adds that "The blessing of creation is now carried forward to the patriarch. In the garden God blessed Adam and Eve; in that blessing he gave them (1) a fruitful place, (2) endowed them with fertility to multiply, and (3) made them rulers over creation. That was all ruined at the fall. Now God begins to build His covenant people; in Genesis 12–22 He promises to give Abram (1) a land flowing with milk and honey, (2) a great nation without number, and (3) kingship. Steven Cole sums up this section - Ge 12:1-3 are symmetrical: There is a command from the Lord (“Go forth”) followed by three promises: “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great.” Then there is a second command, rendered as a future tense in most versions: “Be a blessing” (NASB margin), followed by three more promises: “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Abram’s obedience to the first command would start a chain reaction in which God would bless him so that he could fulfill the second command to be a blessing, which would result in God’s further blessing....Remember, while God gives us many blessings in this life, the main blessing is in eternity. Abram died without seeing most of these promises fulfilled. But he knew that God would make good on His Word. Abram was living for eternity, “looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Heb 11:10). If you’re living for this fleeting life alone, you should not become a Christian. As Paul put it, “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied” (1 Cor. 15:19). But if God is the eternal God, then the hardships we encounter in following Him cannot compare to the glory that will follow (2 Cor. 4:17). So that is our great privilege, that God calls us to salvation in order to bless us. May the prayer of our hart be this old hymn Make me a blessing, make me a blessing, Out of my life may Jesus shine; Make me a blessing, O Savior, I pray, Make me a blessing to someone today. Out in the highways and byways of life, Many are weary and sad Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife, Making the sorrowing glad. Tell the sweet story of Christ and His love; Tell of His pow’r to forgive. Others will trust Him if only you prove True ev’ry moment you live. Give as ’twas given to you in your need; Love as the Master loved you; Be to the helpless a helper indeed; Unto your mission be true. - Ira B. Wilson Bless (01288)(barak) is a verb which literally can mean to kneel (to go to one's knees - Camel in Ge 24:11, Solomon in 2Chr 6:13) as contrasted with standing position or even a bowing at the waist). And so barak can refer to an act of adoration sometimes on bended knee. To give divine blessings (Ge 1:22, 9:1-7) To esteem greatly or adore God for His blessings (Ge 24:48, Ps 103:1) The Greek (Septuagint) translates barak with the verb eulogeo (from eú = good, well + logos = word. English = eulogize) which means to speak a good word of, to speak well or favorably of someone. And make your name great - Which He did as Christians, Jews and Muslims all give respect to Abraham as the father of their faith. D L Moody - THERE is no name in history so well known as the name of Abram. Even Christ is not more widely known, for the Mohammedans, the Persians, and the Egyptians make a great deal of Abram. His name has been for centuries and centuries favorably known in Damascus. God promised him that great men should spring from his loins. Was there ever a nation that has turned out such men? Think of Moses, and Joseph, and Joshua, and Caleb, and Samuel, and David, and Solomon, and Elisha. Think of Elijah, and Daniel, and Isaiah, and all the other wonderful Bible characters that have sprung from this man! Then think of John the Baptist, of Peter, of James, and John, and Paul, a mighty army. No one can number the multitude of wonderful men that have sprung from this one man called out of the land of the Chaldeans, unknown and an idolater, probably, when God called him; and yet how literally God has fulfilled His promise that through him He would bless all the nations of the earth. All because he surrendered himself fully and wholly to let God bless him. A MISSIONARY MANDATE And so you shall be a blessing (Ge 14:14-16 18:18 19:29 28:4 1Ki 1:47 Ga 3:14) Allen Ross - Abram’s blessing was a blessing that would extend to all the families of the earth; it included all the ways that the blessing was spread—through Israel, the Scriptures, the prophets, the covenants, and ultimately the Messiah, its greatest fulfillment (Gal 3:8, 16; cf. Ro 9:5). People who, by faith, revered the covenant that God was making with Abram and therefore blessed Abram would be blessed in return. If people treated Abram lightly, that is, saw no importance for him or his covenant, they would be rejecting God, his choice, and his plan. God would be bound to separate such people from the blessing—although these persons actually would have already removed themselves. The themes of blessing and cursing that are highlighted here run through the entire book of Genesis. This passage forms the central episode of the book; here God begins His program to restore the blessing that was there in the beginning. Everything before this chapter lays down the need for blessing, and everything following it traces its development in the faith and family of Abram. Because Abram responded by faith, these promises of God could be confirmed in a binding covenant (Ge 15:8-21). (Ibid) Spurgeon on “I will bless thee, … and thou shalt be a blessing.” - THIS was to be the double result of Abraham’s coming out from his own country and his father’s house. Those Orientals clung with great tenacity to their native homes. We in these latter ages are not so restful; we think nothing of crossing the Atlantic, and many think little of going to the other side of the globe; but those Easterns trembled even to cross the Euphrates or the Tigris. They spoke of the land beyond those rivers as “across the flood,” and a journey of two or three hundred miles seemed to them to be an event only second to death itself. Yet when the Lord said to Abraham, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:” he “departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him.” His obedience was an act of heroic faith. Now, brethren, in consequence of this obedience, Abraham obtained the double blessing of which our text speaks. But he is called the father of the faithful; that is, the father of all such as believe in God; so that, if we truly believe in God, we shall do what Abraham as a believer did. Children are like their father; believers are like the father of all believers, so that there will be a going out for them as there was for him. We may not be called actually to leave our homes and our native land; but we shall have a more troublesome task than that a great deal, for we are to be separated from the people among whom we dwell,—to dwell among them, yet not to be of them,—in the world, but not of the world. This is not an easy thing; it is far easier to become a monk, or a nun, and shut yourself up alone, than it is to live in the midst of ungodly people, and yet to be yourself godly,—to trade with the usual followers of commerce, and not to drop into their business customs,—to mix with the usual host of thinkers, yet not to think as they think, but to endeavour to think the thoughts of God, and to obey the will of the Most High. Our Lord Jesus Christ was the most perfect man among men; in no respect, in dress or in anything else, did he separate himself from the rest of mankind by anything merely external. He ate and drank just as they did, he sat at their tables, slept in their houses, and talked with them by the way, yet was he always “holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners.” All believers are called thus to live in the world a separated life, in obedience to the Divine command, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing.” There is no necessity for us to wear either the broad-brimmed hat or the collarless coat, or anything whatever by which we shall be marked oft from the rest of men; we are to be separated in reality rather than merely in appearance, to be separated by a higher tone of morals, to be separated by a truer life,—a life with God, a life in God,—to be separated by faith in the unseen, to be separated by an enthusiasm to which the rest of mankind will not pretend; which, indeed, they will even despise. This is the high, hard, holy, heavenly task to which believers in Christ are called. Oh, for grace to accomplish it! (Read the full sermon - Genesis 12:2 Abraham's Double Blessing) Adrian Rogers on faith - Now, the root of faith is a word from God. The requirement of faith is to be separated from sin. Get out, that I might bring you in. You see, faith brings us out that it might bring us in. So many people want to live in the land of faith and the land of idolatry at the same time. Listen to me, folks, you are not going to have faith until you're willing to be separated from sin. The most antithetical thing to faith is sin in the heart and in the life. And so many people are trying to live double lives and want to believe God, but the Bible says a, "A double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways. Let not that man think he shall receive anything of the Lord." We are told to abhor that which is evil, we are told to cleave to that which is good. Do you want to have faith? Get your heart clean. Let me give you some scriptures. Hebrews 3:12. The Bible says, "Beware, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief." Now notice this, unbelief is not intellectual, it is moral. It doesn't come out of the head; it comes out of the heart. Beware, beware, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief." Nothing more debilitating, stultifying, to faith than sin in the life. Listen to Hebrews 12:1, 2, the great faith chapter. It says this, "Wherefore, seeing as we're compassed about by so great a crowd of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight," now listen to this, "let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith." What's he saying? He's saying if you want faith, put your eyes on Jesus, but when you put your eyes on Jesus, lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us. If you're having difficulty, please listen. If you're having difficulty with faith, try repentance. If you're having difficulty with faith, try repentance. There are certain things that always come in a particular order in the Bible. Grace and peace—never peace and grace—grace and peace, because you'll never know peace until you know grace. Believe and baptized. The Bible doesn't say, Be baptized and believe. Some of you need to get your baptism on the right side of your faith. And another order that God has given is repentance and faith, repentance and faith, repentance and faith. God says, Abram, get away from these pagans, get out of this pagan land of idolatry into a place that I will show you. You've got to be separated from sin. (Sermon) NET Note - What does it mean for Abram to “be a blessing”? Will he be a channel or source of blessing for others, or a prime example of divine blessing? A similar statement occurs in Zech 8:13, where God assures his people, “You will be a blessing,” in contrast to the past when they “were a curse.” Certainly “curse” here does not refer to Israel being a source of a curse, but rather to the fact that they became a curse-word or byword among the nations, who regarded them as the epitome of an accursed people (see 2 Kgs 22:19; Jer 42:18; 44:8, 12, 22). Therefore the statement “be a blessing” seems to refer to Israel being transformed into a prime example of a blessed people, whose name will be used in blessing formulae, rather than in curses. If the statement “be a blessing” is understood in the same way in Gen 12:2, then it means that God would so bless Abram that other nations would hear of his fame and hold him up as a paradigm of divine blessing in their blessing formulae.
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Cole - Since, by faith in Christ, we are Abraham’s heirs, blessed with Abraham the believer (Gal. 3:7, 9), we are under obligation not to bottle up the promise, but to take it to every people group on this earth. This is our Lord’s Great Commission, to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19 see commentary). If you have received the blessings of God’s salvation, you are under the responsibility to do all you can to be the channel of that blessing to those who have not heard....God has called us to Himself and given us abundant blessings. But if we keep it to ourselves, we are not doing right. To bottle up God’s blessings for ourselves is to fall into the rampant selfism of our sinful culture. If your heart is not in evangelism and missions, if you’re not burdened for the lost, if you’re not investing the material blessings God has entrusted to you in the work of His kingdom, then you’ve gotten caught up with American selfism. God calls us in salvation and blesses us so that we can be a blessing. We must set our focus on taking the good news of His salvation to all the nations. (Genesis 12:1-3 Great Privilege, Great Responsibility) Warren
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Cole - In Ge 12:10-16 we see Abram’s faithlessness; in Ge 12:17-20, God’s faithfulness in delivering Abram and Sarai; and, in Ge 13:1-4, Abram’s restoration to faith in line with God’s purpose. There are some obvious parallels between this incident in Abram’s life and the nation Israel to whom Moses was writing. Both Abram and the nation Israel went down to Egypt because of a famine in the land (Ge 12:10; 47:13, 27). Abram feared that he, a man, would be killed and Sarai, a woman, would be spared (Ge 12:12); in Moses’ day, Pharaoh ordered the male babies killed and the females spared (Exod. 1:22). God sent plagues on Pharaoh to deliver both Abram and Israel (12:17; Exod. 7:14-11:10). Abram received many possessions from the Egyptians (Ge 12:16); Israel took great spoil before the Exodus (Exod. 12:35-36). God delivered both Abram and the nation Israel, and they journeyed north toward the Negev (12:19, 13:1; Exod. 15, Num. 13:17, 22). (Alan Ross, borrow - Bible Knowledge Commentary - Old Testament [Victor Books, 19851 2:49.)...It is significant that Abram’s deception concerning his wife started with a trial, the famine in the land. Whenever we face trials, we need to be on guard because the situation can either to draw us closer to the Lord or turn us away. The words, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8), are written to suffering Christians (1 Pet. 5:9, 10). When trials hit, the devil moves in to take advantage of the situation by trying to get us to turn from the Lord to our own schemes. That was Abram’s problem in this situation: He was relying on his own scheming, but he had not sought the Lord (see Isa. 31:1). If Abram had asked, the God who would later rain manna from heaven and bring water from a rock could have supplied his needs in the land during this famine. But he didn’t bother to ask. When you turn from the Lord to your own schemes of deliverance, you get yourself in deeper trouble, and you have to figure out even more schemes. Like turning on a road that angles off from the main road, the farther you go down the path of self-reliance, the farther you get from the Lord. As Abram got closer to Egypt, he realized that he could be in great danger because of Sarai. So he concocted a plan to pawn her off as his sister, not his wife (Ge 12:11-12). Walter Kaiser addresses the issue of Abram's ruse in Genesis 12:11-13 - This incident is puzzling not only because of the subterfuge involved but also because the same kind of episode occurs three times (here and in Gen 20:1–3; 26:7–11). In all three episodes the plot is essentially the same. A patriarch visits a foreign land, accompanied by his wife. Fearing that his wife’s beauty will become a source of danger to himself, he resorts to the subterfuge of pretending that his wife is his sister. The recurrent wife-sister theme in Genesis has provoked an unusual number of comments and speculative solutions. Interpreters have been puzzled about why father and son should have fallen back on this ploy so frequently....The two protagonists of these stories, Abram—or as he was later renamed, Abraham—and Isaac, were at the center of the promise-plan by which God was going to bless the very nations they were coming in contact with. Moreover, the means by which God was going to bless these Gentile nations was to be carried in the womb of the very woman to whom these potentates were being attracted. Each of these stories, then, sets up a moment of real suspense for divine providence and for the patriarchs, who, in spite of all their blundering, lying and mismanagement, were still the means through whom God was going to bless the world. It must be stated clearly that Abraham and Isaac both practiced deception. The Bible merely reports that they did so, without approving of it. God preserved the purity of Sarai and Rebekah in spite of all the maneuverings of their husbands. No one can make a case for lying based on these passages. It will always be wrong to lie, since God is truth. What about half lies? Wasn’t it true that Sarai was Abraham’s half sister? Was it not also true that the Hurrian society, in such centers as Haran, where Abraham had stayed on his way to Canaan, had a special legal fiction in which the bonds of marriage were strengthened when the groom adopted his wife as his “sister” in a legal document parallel to the marriage contract? Yes, both are true. Sarai was Abraham’s half sister (Gen 11:29). And there was the Hurrian legal form of sister-marriage. However, most scholars have now concluded that there is very little basis for assuming that Abraham had such a document in mind, since the details of patriarchal and Hurrian marriage documents are quite different. What, then, was Abraham’s motivation? Was he willing to sacrifice his wife’s honor and allow her to marry any suitor in order to save his own skin and possibly get some financial gain? Though Genesis 12:13 might appear to support such an interpretation, subsequent events (Gen 12:15–16) provide a basis for questioning its correctness. Oriental attitudes toward adultery were much more sensitive than ours (Gen 20:2–9). It is doubtful that Abraham would have allowed his wife to bear that sin on her conscience, much less allow himself to be an accomplice in it. The medieval commentators suggested that what Abraham hoped to get out of his “brother” status was the right to receive and deny all suitors’ requests to be Sarai’s husband. This suggestion works in those stories where brothers attempt to delay their sister’s marriage (Laban and Rebekah in Gen 24:55, and Dinah and her brothers in Gen 34:13–17). Abraham and Isaac are to be condemned for their complicity in lying, no matter how noble a motive they may have had, or how much truth the lie contained. Still, God was not to be deterred in his plan to bring life and blessing to the nations through the offspring of Sarai and Rebekah. (See Hard Sayings of the Bible) Genesis 12:12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live will kill (KJV): Ge 20:11 26:7 1Sa 27:1 Pr 29:25 Mt 10:28 1Jn 1:8-10 Genesis 12 Resources - Multiple commentaries, sermons, devotionals See Map of Abram's Journey; More general map of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob Genesis 12:10-13:4 Faithless Man, Faithful God - Steven Cole ABRAM MOVES FROM CONFIDENCE TO FEAR Warren
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Cole - In spite of our failures, God is always faithful (Ge 12:17-20). In the face of Abram’s faithlessness, we see God’s faithfulness. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim. 2:13). Even though Abram’s eyes were off the Lord, the Lord’s eyes were never off Abram. God intervened by striking Pharaoh and his household with some sort of unspecified plagues. But somehow the Egyptians figured out that things started going badly from the moment Sarai took up residence in the harem. And somehow Pharaoh found out that Sarai was Abram’s wife. Pharaoh’s command to Abram to take his wife and go (Ge 12:19) echoes God’s call to Abram to go forth from his country (Ge 12:1). God uses a pagan king’s rebuke to get Abram back to the promised land to uphold His divine call. The incident shows God’s faithfulness in spite of Abram’s faithlessness. It’s always embarrassing for a believer to be rightly corrected by an unbeliever. It’s tough to bear witness in those situations! Remember Jonah, fleeing from the Lord on the ship headed for Tarshish? When the storm arose, they cast lots to figure out whose fault it was. The lot fell on Jonah. They ask him about himself and he has to tell them that he’s a Hebrew, who fears the Lord God who made the heaven and the sea and the dry land. And he tells them that he is fleeing from the presence of the Lord. Even though they’re pagans, they answer, “How could you do this?” (Jonah 1:8-10). They could see Jonah’s inconsistency. So here Pharaoh calls Abram to account and Abram doesn’t say a word in reply. He just goes off with his tail between his legs, duly chastened. If you as a Christian ever get rightly rebuked for your sin by an unbeliever, just confess your sin and seek the person’s forgiveness and pray that God will give you or someone else an opportunity at another time for witness. But don’t try to minimize or rationalize your sin and then proceed to witness for Christ. That’s the worst thing you could do! Verse 20 shows God’s abundant grace in spite of our sin. Pharaoh commanded his men, and they escorted Abram, his wife, and all his belongings out of the country. That’s grace: undeserved favor. If Abram had got what he deserved, Pharaoh would have killed him and kept Sarai and all his possessions. Or at least he would have kept his possessions and kicked Abram and Sarai out of the country with just the shirts on their backs. But God graciously blessed Abram through Pharaoh. Don’t ever mistake God’s grace as a license to sin. God’s grace ought to bind us in deeper devotion to our forgiving Father: O to grace, how great a debtor, daily I’m constrained to be! Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee! Robert Robinson, “Come, Thou Fount” God’s grace never ought to be a reason for us to think, “I got off easy the last time, so I can do it again.” If we do that, we are courting God’s severe discipline (Gal. 6:7). Gotquestions.org asks - "Why did God punish Pharaoh for Abram’s lie (Genesis 12:17)?" Answer: In Genesis 12, Abram and his wife Sarai (their names were later changed to Abraham and Sarah) traveled to Egypt due to a famine in Canaan. Abram instructed his wife to tell people in Egypt that she was his sister instead of his wife. His reason was to protect himself. Because Sarai was so beautiful, Abram feared someone would kill him and take Sarai as his wife. The plan to pass her off as his sister would ensure that Abram would be well received by those he met. In Egypt, Sarai’s beauty attracted the attention of Pharaoh, the ruler of that country. Sarai was taken into Pharaoh’s house, and many gifts were given to Abram (Genesis 12:16). Genesis 12:17 says, “But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.” This seems puzzling. After all, the king was the victim of Abram and Sarai’s deceit. The result of this punishment reveals the reason for it. When Pharaoh realized Sarai was Abram’s wife, he summoned Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go” (Genesis 12:18-19). If God had not caused the plagues to come upon Pharaoh and his household, he may not have known anything was wrong. The affliction led to the discovery that Sarai was Abram’s wife. If Pharaoh had kept Sarai, Abram would not have had a son by Sarai in fulfillment of God’s promise to him (Genesis 12:2; 17:19). Abram was wrong to lie, but God graciously intervened in order to keep His covenant with Abram. In the end, Pharaoh returned Abram’s wife and provided protection for him: “Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had” (Genesis 12:20). Despite Abram’s wrongdoing, God worked to fulfill His promise (Ed: Notice that this is an example of amazing grace, God not giving him what his sin deserved [MERCY], but giving him what he did not deserve [GRACE], because He would remain faithful to keep His promises to Abram. Amazing grace indeed!). Abram left Egypt with his wife Sarai, the protection of the king, and added prosperity. This incident is a good example of how God sometimes allows bad things to take place in someone’s life as part of a larger situation. God used the affliction of Pharaoh’s household to bring about good for Abram. We may not always know why bad things happen, but that does not mean they are without purpose. God has a larger purpose behind everything that takes place in life (Jeremiah 29:11). As Paul taught in Romans 8:28, “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Abram unwisely trusted in his own cunning to preserve his life, and he was caught in a lie. God proved His strength is perfect and that He is the only One with the power to save. Further, we see God has a greater purpose in all things, including suffering. His will is sovereign, and His Name will be glorified. (Editorial Addendum: Unfortunately sin has consequences and Abram's sojourn into Egypt resulted in acquiring Hagar who later bore Ishmael the father of the Arabs who have been the avowed enemy of Israel ever since!) Genesis 12:18 Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife Ge 3:13 4:10 20:9,10 26:9-11 31:26 44:15 Ex 32:21 Jos 7:19 1Sa 14:43 Pr 21:1 Genesis 12 Resources - Multiple commentaries, sermons, devotionals Genesis 12:10-13:4 Faithless Man, Faithful God - Steven Cole ABRAM REBUKED BY A PAGAN What is this you have done to me? - The rotten seed Abram had sowed deserved a righteous rebuke from this pagan king! God brought Abram's deception to the light. As Moses wrote several centuries later " be sure your sin will find you out." (Nu 32:23b+). Similarly, the apostle Paul warned believers Do not be deceived (command to stop this!), God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Gal 6:7-8+) Matthew